Mom’s Best Chili Recipe

Mom’s Best Chili Recipe is quick and easy to make and mild enough for the kids to eat.  It’s perfect when you’re craving simple comfort food from home!

This is a simple, classic and very mild chili recipe that my mom made all the time when I was growing up. It’s perfect for an easy dinner or game day get together or whenever you want some hearty comfort food. If  you’re not a fan of spicy chili, this is the recipe for you!

I already have a couple of other chili recipes on the blog, and even though they’re similar, they’re both spicier than this one. And honestly, can you have too many recipes for chili in your collection?  My Easy 2 Bean Chili has a little bit more heat than this one, and my Beefy Three Bean Chipotle Chili is anything but mild!

Personally, I love spicy food, but not everyone in the family does — You know who you are! And I love to get creative with the flavors whenever I’m cooking. So normally, I use a bit of cinnamon, a little paprika and some garlic whenever I make chili. But since I was feeling nostalgic, I decided to make my mom’s old fashioned chili recipe last week.

Her recipe is super simple, and the only spices you need are chili powder, salt and pepper. That’s it. But even though it’s a simple recipe, it’s downright delicious, as most simple recipes are! And the best part is that you probably already have everything you need to make this chili.

You can add more chili powder if you want more heat, but I’d start out with a smaller amount and go from there. You can also add another can of tomatoes or more water if you like your chili with more liquid. You can also start it earlier in the day and let it hang out in your slow cooker until you’re ready to eat. Easy peasy!

What do you serve with Mom’s Best Chili?

• Shredded cheese
• Sour cream
• Crackers
• Crusty bread
• Corn chips

Personally, we like to eat chili with crackers and butter, or maybe crusty bread or muffins. But really, you can serve this with just about anything you want!

Looking for more easy recipes with ground beef?

• Creamy One Pot Shells and Beef
• One Pot Ground Beef Stroganoff
• One Pot BBQ Shells and Beef
• Easy Beef Taco Soup

How to Make Mom’s Best Chili Recipe

5 from 2 votes

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Mom's Best Chili Recipe

Mom's Best Chili is a quick and easy recipe made with ground beef and kidney beans and a few other ingredients. It's mild enough for kids to eat!

Course Main

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Servings 8

Calories 128 kcal

Author Dee

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 bell pepper, seeded and diced
• 2 14-oz cans kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 8-oz can tomato sauce
• 1 14-oz can diced tomatoes
• 1 cup water
• 1 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Instructions

1. In a large pot or Dutch oven, brown the ground beef, and drain excess fat

2. Add the onion and pepper, and heat until slightly soft, stirring often

3. Stir in the remaining ingredients, heat until bubbling, cover, and simmer until ready to eat

Recipe Notes

I usually fill the empty 8-oz can of tomato sauce with water and add that. You can add more or less, according to your preference

Chili can be transferred to a slow cooker and kept warm until ready to eat

My family absolutely loved this chili — They practically inhaled it! I hope you enjoy Mom’s best chili recipe as much as my family does!

Sharing this at The Weekend Potluck.

Happy Cooking,